In his 1926 self-directed feature comedy Battling Butler, Buster plays an effete millionaire who seeks to impress a girl by allowing her to mistakenly believe he is a champion boxer sharing the same name. As might be guessed, the movie … Continue reading →

Once marked with hills and tunnels, the complicated landscape of early Los Angeles has changed so dramatically that it’s difficult to visualize how all of the pieces once fit together. Massive landmarks such as Court Hill and the Broadway Tunnel … Continue reading →

During Douglas Fairbanks’ 1916 short comedy The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (part of the Fairbanks Modern Musketeer DVD set from Flicker Alley), a police van races from HQ down a quaint, post Victorian era Los Angeles street. Thirty-four years … Continue reading →

Wings, a 1927 World War I fighter pilot movie, was the first production to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. To capture realistic point of view shots of the actors engaged in aerial dog fights, the two leads Charles … Continue reading →

Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and many other silent comedians filmed stunt comedy sequences by building sets on Court Hill overlooking the south end of the former Hill Street Tunnel. As shown at left, filming a set against the street far … Continue reading →